Inducing Behavioral Change in Seekers of Pro-Anorexia Content Using Internet Advertisements: Randomized Controlled Trial

JMIR Mental Health
Elad Yom-TovSilvana Fennig

Abstract

The influence of pro-anorexia (pro-ana) websites is debated, with studies indicating both negative and positive effects, as well as significant variation in the effects of different websites for those suffering from eating disorders (EDs) and the general population. Online advertising, known to induce behavioral change both online and in the physical world, has not been used so far to modify the search behavior of people seeking pro-ana content. The objective of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to examine if online advertisements (ads) can change online search behaviors of users who are looking for online pro-ana content. Using the Bing Ads system, we conducted an RCT to randomly expose the searchers for pro-ana content to 10 different ads referring people to one of the three websites: the National Eating Disorders Association, the National Institutes of Mental Health, and MyProAna. MyProAna is a pro-ana website that was found in a previous study to be associated with less pathological online behaviors than other pro-ana websites. We followed participants exposed and unexposed to the ads to explore their past and future online searches. The ads were shown 25,554 times and clicked on 217 times. Exposure to the ads was ...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

May 11, 2018·The International Journal of Eating Disorders·Markus MoessnerStephanie Bauer
Jul 25, 2020·The International Journal of Eating Disorders·Shiri Sadeh-SharvitElad Yom-Tov
Feb 13, 2021·NPJ Digital Medicine·Masha KrupenkinDavid Rothschild
Mar 7, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Carmela MentoAntonio Bruno

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Software Mentioned

Windows
MyProAna
pro
CrowdFlowe
ana
Bing

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